At their regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 17, members of the Sullivan’s Island Town Council heard from Corps Project Manager Jacob Kyzar concerning a beneficial use project that will take sand previously dredged from the Intracoastal Waterway and transport it to both beaches. He said approximately 175,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed in three locations at the east end of Sullivan’s Island, adjacent to Breach Inlet.
Kyzar said when construct starts, there will be some heavy equipment on the Sullivan’s Island beach, “but a smaller footprint than a traditional beach renourishment.” He explained that the work would be a 24/7 operation and would last for a month or two sometime between January and June of 2024. He said the Corps hopes to award the contract for the work in late December.
“It’s not our goal to build a dry sand beach that goes all the way above the high tide line,” Kyzar noted. “We’re basically stockpiling material within the beach template for future use to let nature takes its course.”
He said going forward, the Corps would like to transport sand dredged from the Intracoastal directly to the Sullivan’s and IOP beaches, rather than storing it first.
At an Oct. 3 meeting, the Isle of Palms Council voted to take a three-pronged approach to combatting erosion on 10 properties already considered to be facing emergency conditions, authorizing spending up to $1.25 million to scrape sand and haul in new sand and $250,000 to install sandbags. A week later, the IOP Council passed an emergency ordinance that permits property owners between 100 and 914 Ocean Blvd. to circumvent a city ordinance and pay to install their own sandbags.
The Corps project is expected to fortify the IOP beach with approximately 500,000 cubic yards of sand.
In other action Oct. 17, the Sullivan’s Island Council unanimously approved a motion to increase the time for the public to speak at Council meetings from 90 seconds to two minutes, based on a recommendation from the Administration Committee. The Council also unanimously passed a declaration in support of the state of Israel, which recently was brutally attacked by terrorists based in the Gaza Strip.
“These senseless acts have led to countless instances of trauma, grievous injury and death among innocent people in Israel and in the territory the terrorists pretend to represent. We unequivocally condemn these acts of violence, which seek to undermine peace, stability and the fundamental values that uphold civilization and democratic principles,” the declaration stated. “We stand in solidarity with those kidnapped and injured, hoping for their swift return and full recovery. We support Israel and other democratic nations in their efforts to combat terrorism, extremism and intolerance wherever they may arise.”
The Sullivan’s Island Town Council also voted to change the date of its next meeting to Monday, Nov. 13. The meeting normally would have been held on Nov. 21, during the week of Thanksgiving.
